


The View From Here

by shineebigbang



Category: SHINee
Genre: Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-08-26
Packaged: 2018-12-20 06:10:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11914842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shineebigbang/pseuds/shineebigbang





	The View From Here

Jaehyun had always played soccer. Growing up in a neighborhood that was evenly split between Hispanic and Korean families, there was always a pickup game going on at one of the parks so not only was he raised with a love of soccer by his dad, but Jaehyun grew up with friends with the same interest. It was why he played during high school, and put forth enough effort to be scouted by some universities.

Even though his parents were trying to let Jaehyun make his own decision, when they heard that _the_ Choi Minho was going to be the newest coach for one of the schools, the decision was made.

THE Choi Minho was one of the best players to have come out of the Korean National Team ever, Jaehyun’s dad would often say. Jaehyun had stats memorized and questions he was burning to ask, all fueled by his father’s enthusiasm when Jaehyun accepted the offer to work with Coach Choi. That’s what he signed his letter, anyway, when he sent a training packet to Jaehyun’s residence at the start of summer.

The letter also said that soccer was a year-round sport, despite what the leagues made it out to be, and that scouted players were expected to follow a practice regimen before arriving on campus in August. August because there was to be a training camp before the semester even started; Jaehyun was beginning to have second doubts even if his father was not.

Although he was skeptical, Jaehyun realized that if he hadn’t followed the training routine that Coach Choi had outlined, he would be struggling to keep up during the camp like many of his teammates were. Training was arduous but the drills were different and creative which made for a fun environment. Choi Minho, though, was a little harder to get the hang of. Because the camp was meant to divide the starters from the second string, there was little bonding between the team and the coaches.

Jaehyun wanted to introduce himself and tell Coach Choi how both he and his dad were fans from when he first played on the Korean National Team. He wanted to ask what made him move half across the world to coach soccer, especially when he was still in pro shape. That was the only thing that Jaehyun’s dad begrudged Choi Minho. Even though he was in peak condition and was coveted by several European teams, he’d shocked fans and professionals alike when he announced that he’d be retiring from playing professionally.

The news shocked Korea and the professional soccer world, as most players decided to keep playing professionally until they were a bit past their prime. It wasn’t a loss to Jaehyun though, who got to go to training with one of his idols. Sure, Choi Minho didn’t know his name, but he knew his jersey number, and that made Jaehyun’s stomach flutter just the same.

And when he got placed on the list of starters, well Jaehyun could admit that his cheeks pinked when the coach called out Ahn Jaehyun instead of Jay-hyun An.

It also wasn’t like Jaehyun had a crush on Coach Choi, as they had all been instructed to call the man. There was just something about how the coach carried himself and led practice and drills; Choi Minho was tough and demanding, yet fair and playful with his team. It made coming to practice fun, and something that Jaehyun looked forward to.

Not to mention, Choi Minho’s entire history was on the internet for anyone’s perusal. That’s why Jaehyun didn’t think it was weird for him to know so much about his coach. The only thing that he wasn’t sure about was why exactly Coach Choi had decided to be Coach Choi in the first place. Online you could find what type of jjigae was the ex-player’s favorite, and whether he favored Girl’s Generation or Wonder Girls, but there was no information on why he’d made a 180 with his life. He’d given himself a demotion and a hell of a pay cut, and all Jaehyun wanted to know was why.

With how intense the training camp had been, then with his first! year! of! college! starting, Jaehyun didn’t have much time to ponder over Choi Minho’s personal life. His professional life, sure. With training twice a week and team workouts during the rest of the week, Jaehyun saw a lot of his coach. He saw a quiet coach, standing on the sidelines and watching the team practice. He saw a discerning coach, making adjustments to each player’s training based on strength and weaknesses. He saw a sweaty coach, as he often joined them for their workouts.

It was easy to forget that the Coach Choi had a private life when so much of his time was spent surrounded by budding adults who he had to whip into shape. Especially with the NCAA season starting almost as they were beginning the semester. At least, Jaehyun forgot about it until rumors were spreading like crazy that the coach was dating someone at the university.

Let it be said that athletes are the worst gossips in the history of the world. The locker room was filled with speculation about whom Coach Choi could possibly be dating. There was even an attempt at a betting pool until the assistant coach overheard them and told them that if any money exchanged hands there would be hell to pay. In the form of laps to be run after practice. So that was shut down quickly. The speculation though, got more outlandish the longer that things went unconfirmed.

“I think it’s the cheerleading coach,” one of the guys said, voice muffled by the showers that were still going off after another day of practice.

“Why do you think that?” Someone else asked. Jaehyun just thought it was weird that they were discussing their coach’s private life when they were all standing around naked.

“Didn’t you see them talking on the edge of the field today?”

“I was trying not to die,” Jaehyun muttered to himself, shaking his head. After hearing about how invested his team was in his personal life, Coach Choi had been drilling them just a little bit harder. Enough that the players knew to toe carefully around the subject. Well, at least the players with a brain.

“So? Talking does not a relationship make,” Hector chimed in. He was one of the senior players, and someone that Jaehyun had immediately liked at the start of their training camp. “And Coach Choi looked uncomfortable as all hell when she put her hand on his arm.”

“I’m just saying; she’s hot and Coach Choi isn’t, you know, bad looking,” Brian said with a shrug. “And they’re bound to spend some time together in the Athletics office.”

“But I mean, how many coaches are in the Athletics department? What if it's the coach of the Women’s Soccer team?” Jaime cut in. “And they’re gonna make a Super Soccer Team and take over the world.”

Laughter tittered throughout the locker room, but that was the end of the discussion.

Jaehyun made it a point to not question or even think about the possibilities of Coach Choi’s love life, especially because he was not a fan of running laps after an already exhausting practice.

Oddly enough, the next time that Jaehyun thought about who Choi Minho went home to at night, was because he'd finally gotten up the nerve to ask Hyesun out on a date. The two of them were in the same Korean Students Association, and despite having fallen in love at first sight, Jaehyun was actually a scaredy cat. They had flirted without Jaehyun completely making an ass out of himself, and after weeks of deliberation, he’d finally taken the plunge. Hyesun was witty, kind, and so beautiful. When she’d said yes to the date, Jaehyun had had to call his best friend from home for a pep talk.

He was going to pick her up from her late theater class and walk with her over to a restaurant just off campus, because that sounded like a mostly normal first date. Jaehyun arrived early, anxious about their first date, and he sat in a lounge that had the perfect vantage point for the classroom doors. He wanted to catch her as soon as she got out (not at all because he thought that she would skip out on him, or anything preposterous like that). While fiddling with his phone and trying to control his bouncing knee, he completely failed to notice that someone joined him in the lounge.

Jaehyun started thinking more and more about how this date could change his entire life or break his heart, which made it difficult to catch his breath. There really shouldn't be so much riding on a first date, but there was no stopping the hyperventilation that was about to start.

"Jaehyun? Jaehyun, are you okay?" A familiar voice asked. Jaehyun shook his head, hoping that that was enough of an answer. Suddenly, his chest was pushed against his thighs and his head was tucked carefully between his knees. "Take deep breaths. Concentrate on your heartbeat. Just breathe, Jaehyun, you're fine."

After what seemed like an eternity to him, Jaehyun caught his breath and finally looked up to see Coach Choi looking at him with a concerned look on his face. "Hey coach, thanks."

"You okay?" Coach Choi questioned wearily.

"Yeah, I just got caught up in my head a little bit," Jaehyun explained with a shy smile. He'd talked to Coach Choi before, but it had always been about soccer. He could feel a blush attacking his cheeks as he embarrassingly realized that his idol had witnessed a panic attack. "I'm- uh- waiting on a date?"

"Why did that sound more like a question than a statement?" Coach Choi laughed. The older man sat down on the seat that was next to Jaehyun’s. He didn’t look put out by having to deal with Jaehyun outside of the field, which was kind of nice.

"Nerves, I guess." Jaehyun answered with a shrug. “I don’t know if you could tell.”

"Who are you waiting on?" Coach Choi asked clearly changing the subject from Jaehyun’s mini panic attack, and Jaehyun was reminded of the first time he went on a date and his mom interrogated him for twenty minutes before allowing him to leave the house.

"Um, Hyesun Gu? I don't know if you-" Jaehyun tried to explain. He didn't know why Coach Choi was asking, especially because there was no way that the soccer coach cared about the lives of the students. And Jaehyun found it unlikely that his coach would even know-

"Oh, I know her!" Coach Choi replied, to Jaehyun's obvious surprise, with a bright smile. "She's awesome, Jaehyun, good for you."

Jaehyun really wanted to ask how the hell Coach Choi knew Hyesun, but his thought was interrupted by the unmistakable noise of students getting ready to leave the classroom. He looked over to his coach only to find the man smiling at him fondly. They both made a move to stand up and head towards the classroom, and as the first couple of people headed out, Coach Choi clapped his hand on Jaehyun's shoulder and headed into the classroom.

Waiting patiently for the girl of his dreams to come out of the class, Jaehyun watched as the coach walked up to the professor at the front of the class. The smiles they exchanged were so sincere that Jaehyun suddenly knew exactly who Coach Choi was dating, but Hyesun stepped out and all other thoughts that had ever crossed his mind were wiped away with at the hint of a smile on her face.

~

Hyesun was kind of having the time of her life. She had no idea that once she accepted her date with Jaehyun, college would get a lot more fun.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t having a good time already, but there was always a little bounce in her step when she knew that she was going to see her boyfriend for dinner or that he was going to be picking her up from class so that she didn’t walk home alone.

The university campus seemed so big when she’d arrived for orientation with her parents, and the advisors suggested that joining organizations and making friends would help the campus feel like home. She hadn’t realized how lonely it would be to have her best friends scattered all over the country; and her roommate was out of the room most of the time, so there wasn’t even someone to talk to when she came back to her room in the afternoons.

Until she joined the Korean Students Association, she didn’t have many friends at school. It was difficult to make friends with the people in her general requirement courses because they were filled with people of different majors and interests. Not to mention that most students were freshmen with an intense focus on not failing their first semester as college students. In such big classes, it wasn’t even likely that she would sit next to the same person every class day.

Joining an organization had basically opened up her social circle. She got to know the members and usually had events to attend on the weekend. It also meant that Hyesun had friends to eat lunch with and people who wanted do simple things with her, like grocery shop.

Having a cute guy flirt with her seemed like it was the icing on top of the proverbial cake. Jaehyun was friendly, genuinely caring, and the kind of person that people gravitated towards. Hyesun thought that his flirting was innocent and that he wasn’t really interested in her, but when he stammered out his suggestion for a date she knew that his feelings ran deeper than he’d showed.

It was so easy to become enamored with her boyfriend. He’d met her outside of her classroom for the first date, and the nerves and excitement on his face had made her fall quickly. It helped that he was a good listener and was interested in her life and interests, but being with Jaehyun simply made Hyesun happy.

They studied in the library together, got dinner together, and went on little dates exploring the city that was new to both of them. It was on one of their movie dates when Jaehyun turned to her mid movie and asked in a whisper if Hyesun would be his girlfriend. Hyesun couldn’t help but laugh and shove her boyfriend a little, responding, “I thought I already was!”

And then, no one had ever told Hyesun that after a certain amount of dating, past the wooing and sometime after the honeymoon stage, shit gets even better. It was better because you become so comfortable with another person, so confident in your love for one another, that every time you hang out, it's amazing. Everything becomes a date. You’re out of ramen and sausages? Boom, grocery-shopping date. Your boyfriend’s roommate ruined all his socks with his crappy attempts at doing laundry? Boom, sock-shopping date. You got a mysterious eye infection that makes your eyes too dry to keep open? Boom, boyfriend-reciting-your-required-reading-so-you-don’t-fail-all-your-classes date. The world is unfair and gives you cramps? Boom, Netflix-chocolate-and-electric-heating-pads date.

Hyesun loved spending time with Jaehyun, even when they were doing the most mundane things in the world together. Like when they’re running errands (post office, farmer’s market, and mechanic shop), and Hyesun remembered that she was supposed to pick up costumes from her professor. Jaehyun agreed that they could do that before that they had to go to the mall to pick out a birthday present for his sister, happily driving them to a nicer part of town that they were in.

Professor Kim had taken Hyesun under his wing after she admitted that she was struggling with stage fright. The youthful professor assured her that she didn’t need to partake in the stage production that each of his classes was required to stage for the semester. After explaining her issues with anxiety, Hyesun had been allowed to help with the costuming and production of the play along with a few volunteers from Professor Kim’s other classes. He’d been teaching her how to dress different people’s frames for mobility and she was tasked with doing some of the last minute alterations to the costumes before dress rehearsal.

Hyesun pulled up his address on her phone and directed Jaehyun. Her boyfriend gingerly placed a hand on her thigh, and Hyesun smiled up at him. Jaehyun was a physically affectionate person, and she enjoyed the fact that for him that meant putting a hand on her leg while driving, or holding her hand whenever they were walking anywhere.

When they pulled up to the house, Hyesun was unsurprised to find that it was a beautiful, modern home. It was white with large windows facing the street, giving it an open feel. She couldn’t really see past the foyer, but it was impressive nonetheless.

After ringing the doorbell, Hyesun looked back at Jaehyun who was waiting in the car. She was surprised that her boyfriend was stepping out of the vehicle and waving at someone who was walking down the street. Even though she wanted to see what Jaehyun was doing, the front door opened and revealed her stressed looking professor.

“Oh my God, I’m so glad you didn’t forget about this,” Professor Kim said with a laugh. “I’m clearly running myself ragged and if you couldn’t do the alterations then the cast would have been screwed.”

“I’m happy to help,” Hyesun replied honestly. She loved Professor Kim and helping out with the production made her feel like a part of the team.

“You’re a godsend, I swear,” Professor Kim argued while waving her into the house. It was just as impressive inside as it was from the outside. There were tall ceilings and an open floor plan that made the house feel light and spacious.

Just past the foyer, there was a living room with modern but comfortable looking couches that were currently covered in costumes and a coffee table that was littered with paperwork.

“Whoa,” Hyesun said under her breath. With as organized as Professor Kim was in classes and rehearsals and pretty much everywhere, she hadn’t expected for his living room to look like the aftermath of an explosion.

“Exactly,” Professor Kim huffed. “I’m swamped with a million and one things to do and for some reason I thought I could do it all.”

Hyesun didn’t want to say that her favorite professor sounded a bit hysterical, but he did. She caught sight of some of the papers though, and she understood better. There were checklists and diagrams of tables and a few other scraps of paper that looked like the beginning of a wedding being planned.

“Professor, are you getting-” Hyesun began before snapping her mouth closed. She was close to Professor Kim, but she didn’t have any right to his personal life.

“Ah, yes,” He answered the unfinished question with a smile. “I’m getting married in the spring, but apparently I should have already booked the venue and figured out a guest list and I’m a little bit freaking out because all the wedding websites say that I’m like six months behind schedule.”

She couldn’t help but smile at the rant; from all the time she’d spent with her professor, Hyesun knew that he only went on little rants when he was especially passionate about something. “I’m sure you can do it, Professor.”

“You can call me Key,” Professor Kim-Key said with a smile. “I swear I’ve depended on you more than I usually do with the kids in my major.”

“I really like working with you,” Hyesun offered. She’d never thought about being a production major, but watching her professor put together shows and getting everyone to do their part was kind of fascinating to watch.

“And I really appreciate all the work you’ve done for me and for the department,” He complimented. “I would be sorry of pawning this off on you, but I need to take my fiancé to a few of the possible venues before we can settle down a guest list.”

“No worries,” Hyesun assured him. “I was just running errands with my boyfriend, but we don’t have any plans for the rest of the weekend.”

“Jaehyun, right?” Key asked. Hyesun nodded, a little surprised that her professor remembered something that she could have only mentioned in passing. “My fiancé told me that Jaehyun was waiting outside my classroom on you guys’ first date.”

“Wait, are you engaged to-” Hyesun got interrupted by the front door opening and Jaehyun walking in with a tall handsome man that she’d only seen from a distance when she sat in the stands while the Men’s soccer team had practice.

“Hey babe, look who was waiting for his girlfriend outside?” Coach Choi Minho said with a big grin.

Hyesun wanted to laugh at her boyfriend’s stunned face, but she felt a little bad for him. She knew that Jaehyun was continuously star struck by his coach, and that being invited into his house must have felt incredibly surreal.

“I-I’m really okay coach, I don’t need-” Jaehyun tripped over his words as he shook his head.

“Nonsense, I can’t have my players dehydrated in this heat,” Coach Choi replied as he pulled two mini poodles into the house by their leashes. The man bent down to unclip them from their restraint as soon as he closed the front door, then heading over to the kitchen fridge and pulling out two waters.

“Oh man, I’m a terrible person,” Key muttered. “Do you want something to drink Hyesun?”

Hyesun shook her head, “Nah, I’m okay.”

Coach Choi came back and handed one of the bottles to a bashful looking Jaehyun. Hyesun was still smiling at her boyfriend’s antics, but her smile grew when she saw Coach Choi kiss Professor Kim’s temple before saying something about giving the pups a treat. The smile that lit up Professor Kim’s face though, was radiant.

From the simple kiss, his entire demeanor changed. He somehow looked less tired and brighter, and not to exaggerate, but even his skin looked healthier. Hyesun turned around to see that her boyfriend was staring just as she had been. Jaehyun shook himself out of it after a moment, but when their eyes met, they both smiled.

“Did you need help taking the costumes out to the car?” Jaehyun asked, gesturing at the piles of clothes strewn over the couch.

“Yes, please,” Hyesun agreed. Along with her professor, she separated all of the outfits that she needed to take with her and piled them into Jaehyun’s outstretched arms. Once they had collected all of the things she needed to take, Hyesun guided her boyfriend towards the door, with Key following closely behind.

“Thank you again, for taking some of the work off my hands,” Key said.

Hyesun waved him off but did wish him luck with looking for a wedding venue. Once she and Jaehyun were in the privacy of his car, Jaehyun looked over to her looking a little gob smacked.

“They’re getting married?” He nearly yelled.

Hyesun laughed loudly and nodded, “Professor Kim said that the reason he didn’t have time for everything was because they’re planning the wedding.”

“Oh my God,” Jaehyun said, rubbing his eyes like he couldn’t believe what he had just witnessed. “I mean, they are so adorable together, but do you think Professor Kim is the reason that Coach Choi quit being a pro soccer player? My dad is gonna be so disappointed.”

“Why would your dad be disappointed?” Hyesun asked, a bit defensively.

“Not- definitely not because he’s gay or anything,” Jaehyun clarified immediately. “He’s just always thought that the dating bans that pro teams put on their soccer players should extend beyond their rookie years. Precisely because if anything is going to get you to change your dreams and aspirations, it's love.”

“Oh,” Hyesun answered sheepishly. “Well I didn’t ask any questions about it or anything. Has Coach Choi never talked about it with the team?”

Jaehyun shook his head, “Brian, the nosy shit, asked once. Coach just said that his priorities had changed and that he wanted to mold the future of the sport.”

Hyesun smiled because she knew that that was very likely verbatim what Coach Choi had said. “Are you a little jealous that your precious coach is taken?”

Even through the blush on his cheeks, Jaehyun denied it. “No, I already told you that I don’t have a crush on him! And besides, I knew they were dating since the day that we went on our first date.” Hyesun just raised an eyebrow and waited for her boyfriend to elaborate. “Before you walked out, I uh, I saw Coach go up to Professor Kim and their smiles, they just looked like they were in love. I just forgot to mention it because I saw you and my mind kind of went blank.”

Hyesun leaned over the center console and gave Jaehyun a brief kiss. She was so in love, it was a little ridiculous. “Come on, let's go get your oil changed.”

~

Ariana was feeling overwhelmed. She had two midterms and two papers and a presentation all due during the same week. It was difficult to understand why all of her professors thought that they were the only class that she was taking!

But she had learned to prioritize after the struggle of freshman year, so at least now she had a vague idea of how much time she should spend studying for each subject and how much time she could allow herself to procrastinate without her grades suffering too much. Ariana had learned, in the worst way possible, that if she didn’t allow a break from time to time, then her brain would refuse to focus on microeconomics and would demand cat videos in high volume.

So her trip to Starbucks was both a distraction and a need, since she was running on less hours of sleep than her body strictly required for productivity. Caffeine was a nasty addiction, but she couldn’t afford to worry about that right now. Right now, she needed her brain to take in her surroundings and distract itself from the painfully dull textbook that was waiting for her in her dorm. She didn’t know why she was taking so many classes in the first place, but it was too far into the semester for her to change her mind about things. There was no way that she was going to drop a course, because evidently she liked to torture herself with enough school work to work anyone into a depression.

That didn’t matter though. What was important was that the campus Starbucks had stock of all the specialty-flavored syrups that were usually only available in certain seasons.

After receiving her drink, Ariana sat down in one of the big comfy chairs that were near the edge of the coffee shop. She knew she was lucky to find sitting space during such a hectic time, so she settled into her spot with gusto. Ariana let her eyes wander around the shop, taking in the frantic looks of some students, and the glazed over looks of others. Freshmen, she could tell. Opposite of her, however, were two relaxed looking men. They didn’t look like students, both dressed far too well for someone dealing with midterms, and their smiles definitely weren’t decorating the faces of any of the students she knew.

They were both aesthetically gorgeous, Ariana could see that clearly. The one with the big eyes and perfectly symmetrical features was dressed in a simple white dress shirt with the sleeves cuffed at the elbow with stunning navy slacks that sit right at his ankle, even while he was sitting. The man he was sitting with had sharper eyes with stunning cheekbones and he was dressed even more fashionably. His collarless white smock was tucked under a studded blazer, and Ariana could tell that the black slacks he was wearing were tailored perfectly by her ability to see the shape of his legs without the fabric pulling.

It was a good distraction for her, as she was interested in fashion as more than a hobby, but with too limited funds to pursue it as anything else. The two men made quite the pair; they sat close together as they were both looking at the same screen. They could have almost passed as Fashion graduate students; if it weren’t for the sweet looks that they gave each other (and the way that the man in the navy pants kept pulling at the fold of his sleeve).

She watched them for a while, entertained with how one of them directed the other with that to do on the computer and how even when they looked like they were disagreeing, there was always some sort of physical contact. An arm draped over the back of the chair, a quick touch to the bicep, a pat on the hand. It was kind of cute to watch, objectively.

When they were seemingly done with whatever they were doing, the couple got up and walked towards the exit that was near Ariana’s seat.

“Look at these poor babies,” the taller one said, honestly sounding more sympathetic than one should when addressing a bunch of adults as babies. “They all look so stressed out.”

“I know,” his companion replied with a shake of his head. “For the midterm in my class, my students are watching Lilo and Stitch.”

“Can you do that? Because that’s awesome!” The tall one said enthusiastically, as they reached the door. “You’re pretty much the best professor ever, aren’t you?” With a shrug, the shorter man walked out the door leaving the other to pause and quietly say, “I can’t wait to marry you.”

~

Sometimes shopping alone meant that Dylan made completely shit choices. Looking down at the shopping cart, the Pop Tarts settled in among the chocolate chip cookies, the 12 pack of cherry coke, a watermelon that was probably going to prove difficult to open and a 4 pack of microwavable mac and cheese. There probably should have been more vegetables and protein in the cart, since this was supposed to be the food Dylan would consume for the rest of the week, but there was nothing but yearning for crappy food with empty calories. Anxious and jittery, partially from the inadvisable amount of coffee consumed in the last few hours but mostly by the desire to get out of the store as soon as possible, Dylan navigated through the remaining aisles quickly. With every minute passing under the fluorescent lights, the need to escape rose. There were only a few more items that were necessary for survival (coffee and cold cuts) that needed to be added to the sparsely filled cart.

Honestly, Dylan enjoyed shopping late at night (as much as a 19 year old could enjoy grocery shopping) because there weren’t as many people milling around the store; but tonight as Dylan rounded the corner to the coffee section, there were loud masculine giggles ringing through the aisle. There was a momentary internal debate on whether it was better to wait out the time the people in the aisle needed to move along and whether extending the time spent in the grocery store was worth avoiding all human interaction at all costs. With a heavy sigh and the need for more caffeine, Dylan sucked in a breath and pushed ahead.

There was a man wrestling a pack of hot chocolate out the hands of the giggler and in their cart were 4 more boxes of hot chocolate.

“Minho! You can’t just keep sneaking in so many sweets! We are throwing a dinner party! Do you want our guests to have nightmares from all the sugar?” His words held a stern tone, but his expression was too gentle to match his voice.

“But we can also get cake for dessert! You need hot chocolate and coffee! And any left over we can share later.” The man named Minho said through a sly grin. “You’ll probably eat it at 3 AM like that one time I caught you trying to get to those brownies we made for your students.”

This time the man’s tone found a playful tease. “I would have saved you one, but just one!” His grin opened into laughter as he found himself losing grip of the hot chocolate. Arms wrapped around his slender frame, pulling him closer until the two men’s lips met.

It felt a little wrong to watch the intimate scene, but it was impossible to not feel their happiness fill their immediate surroundings with joy. Regardless, not wanting them to feel like they were being watched or judged, Dylan pushed the squeaky cart forwards to alert the couple that they were not alone. Their eyes opened and their cheeks flushed as they separated, so a mumbled apology escaped quietly as they offered passage with some silly giggles.

As Dylan shuffled by them, the taller man reached over to grab another box of the hot chocolate mix.

“Hey! What are you doing?” The one with sharp eyes questioned loudly, reaching his hands over their cart as if to protect it from any more boxes.

“I’m showing this young lady the wonders of hot chocolate! Come on, Key, do you really think more people should be deprived from this magic?” The man named Minho smiled as he Dylan a box. It was impossible to stifle the unconscious laugh that bubbled up as the tall man explained how life changing this brand of hot chocolate was and how he would be willing to bet that it could make miracles happen. .

“I’m sorry we are bothering you, here let me put that back for you.” The man named Key held out a hand with an apologetic furrow in his brow.

“It’s okay, I’ll try the chocolate, if in exchange you try my favorite coffee.” Dylan proposed, feeling a bit nervous for being so forward with these strangers.

“I like the way she thinks! Let’s do it! Please, Key!” Minho responded happily.

With a laugh, Key agreed. “Alright, we can drink it with the cake we’ll buy.”

Minho’s eyes widened and gleamed at the mention of cake. Dylan handed them a bag of the best tasting coffee blend that had ever existed, after tossing the cocoa into the cart.

“Thank you so much, Miss! I hope you love the hot chocolate! I will have an extra slice of cake in your honor!” Minho called as Key dragged him away. The man continued to wave until his partner pulled his hand down and took him around to the next aisle.

Dylan felt lighter after the encounter, sharing a laugh with two friendly strangers made her chest feel warm and she even managed a smile for the cashier.

Even though she had been avoiding human interaction as much as possible, Key and Minho had seen her. Really seen. Her.

~

Jonghyun was well aware that he was a crier. It was part of who he was as a person, and he'd come to terms with it a long time ago. His family and friends were well aware of his affliction, and they all handled it differently.

His mother hugged him tightly as soon as his eyes got the tiniest bit misty, comforting her son as fiercely as she always had. His sister would laugh and punch him in the arm before pulling him into a side hug that provided enough support for Jonghyun not to feel bad about all the crying. Some friends no longer watched Pixar movies with him, and others knew to have the tissues and ice cream on hand.

It was fine, really. Jonghyun knew that there was absolutely nothing wrong with having a good cry, or getting emotional.

But, as he stood there crying (sobbing really) so hard that he could no longer form words, he knew his crying was getting a little out of hand. He had absolutely no idea why he had agreed to this, or why Minho and Key had asked this of him in the first place.

They were standing there, in the middle of a beautiful orchard that Key had found in his frantic search for wedding venues, and Jonghyun stood at the head of it all.

A few months ago, this had seemed like a good idea. Minho and Key had had him over for dinner one night, and during dessert, they'd sprung the question on him.

"Do you think," Minho began, "Well just because the both of us-"

"Huh?" Jonghyun asked eloquently when Minho trailed off without really having said anything.

"So we don't want to put you in a weird situation," Key took up where Minho just blushed. "But both of us were thinking about asking you to be our best man."

Jonghyun was instantly flattered, a warm feeling spreading around his chest, until he realized the dilemma at hand. He'd been best friends with the couple for a long time. Granted, he'd met Minho first, but he hit it off instantly with Key when they did meet. How could he decide whom to be the best man for? He could try to do it for both of them, but he couldn't split himself in two to stand behind both of them as they got married. A small sound of distress escaped his mouth, but Key and Minho were smiling kindly at him.

"Since we know that it would be unfair to make you choose, we were wondering if you'd like to officiate the ceremony." Minho said finally.

"You wouldn't be behind either of us, but you could say that you began our marriage," Key had said with a smirk.

It was such a good compromise that Jonghyun had agreed at once. He'd taken his time with researching and looking for the best ceremony that he could perform for his friends. He knew, was intimately aware in fact, with how much Minho and Key loved each other. Their long years of friendship had provided a good look into their ups and downs and Jonghyun wanted the ceremony to be perfect for them.

He'd prepared fastidiously; writing and rewriting all the parts of the ceremony. Practicing the pauses in the mirror and even acquiring a robe to look more official.

Yet, now, as he watched the two of them walk up the aisle together, smiling at each other like they were sure- to the depths of their bones- that they were meant to be together, Jonghyun lost it.

He knew the obstacles they had faced that somehow brought them together instead of pushing them apart. He'd heard delicate proclamations of love that were said at each of their partings. He'd seen the love shine in each of their eyes as they secretly watched the other. Jonghyun knew how deep their love ran, and it moved him with such force that he couldn't hold his tears back.

Just as Minho and Key arrived at the alter, Jonghyun was sobbing to the point that it was difficult to catch his breath. Minho let out a small, not unkind, laugh at the scene they arrived to.

'Rein it in,' Jonghyun thought to himself as he tried to take deep breaths. There wasn't a lot of people in attendance at the ceremony, and most of them knew Jonghyun, so he hoped this wasn't' as bad as it seemed in his head.

"You okay?" Key asked with an encouraging smile.

Jonghyun nodded as he caught his breath. "I'm just so happy for you guys, and you look so happy and in love and it just kind of-"

"I cried in the changing room," Minho said with a laugh. And now that Jonghyun really looked at him, he could see that his eyes were tinged pink. "So let's just get the tears out of the way and get Key and I married."

Jonghyun smiled through his tears, and took a final deep breath before he started the ceremony. It was a little difficult to project his voice at first, and his voice definitely cracked at some of the more emotional bits he'd written into the speech. It didn't matter though, because at the end of it, his friends were married.

There were more tears shed and a group hug after Minho and Key's first kiss as a married couple, and at Jonghyun was glad he was there.

~

Petra had been doing this for a long time. She both loved and hated her job, but she knew that she was making a difference in the world. She could differentiate between people who were trying to mend a marriage, those who wanted to save the world, and those who simply wanted to be parents. She didn't judge any of them, and honestly couldn't say what made a parent a good parent. She thought there were no fixed formulas for it, despite what her list of requirements said.

Introduction interviews were something of a formality for most to-be parent. They were meant to be a preliminary examination of who was fit to be parents and who wasn't. In all honesty though, no one got turned away at the first interview.

That didn't mean, however, that Petra was going to slack off on her duty. As a social worker, she wanted to ensure the very best for the children under her care and protection. She was here to do a job.

It didn't matter if she was tired and she'd had more interviews today than she had on a normal day. It didn't matter that Petra's daughter was anxiously studying for her SATs and waiting for her mom to come home to quiz her. What mattered was that she had one couple left to interview and that deserved her full attention, regardless of the fact that her brain wanted her to get out as soon as possible.

She buzzed the receptionist to alert her that she was ready for the last couple. Petra waited patiently while she heard footsteps coming from down the hall. She'd heard many people come down that hall, some with determined stomping feet and some so light footed that she almost didn't hear them come near. This couple though, walked gently through the hall only to pause just outside her door.

"Breathe honey," A deep voice said.

Petra heard the other person take a deep breath, but it came out loudly and shakily. "What if she doesn't like us? What if she thinks that your eyebrows are judgy or that my eyes are too big and she doesn't want us to have a kid?"

"Minho, my eyebrows and your eyes aren't what this lady is here to talk about. She's just making sure that we're fit to be parents. That's what the lawyer said, remember?" The deep voice reasoned. Petra was not surprised about the couple being two men, but her eyebrows did rise at the talk of a lawyer. People didn't usually involve lawyers until the adoption was being processed.

"I-I know Kibum," the softer voice replied. "But what if she thinks we're not fit to be parents? I just want to be a dad, to give a kid a good life, and its kind of nerve-wracking that this will either start or end here."

"Honey, there's no way that anyone will spend more than five minutes with you and not be absolutely convinced that you would be an amazing dad," Kibum said. Petra, despite her years at the job, still got emotional when she heard couples raise each other's hopes and self esteem. It was so wonderful to witness people who created a positive space for their partner, and Petra knew that would translate to a safe, positive space for a child.

Minho and Kibum, Petra considered. As the couple carried on with what sounded like practiced breathing exercises, Petra did a quick search and found that the names were more than likely Korean. She smiled to herself as she could already picture the little girl that they would eventually call theirs.

~

Jiwon looked at the two men before her, finding some comfort in the fact that they both had Asian eyes like her. She’d been told before, by some of the meaner boys at the children’s home, that she’d be going home with white people who thought it was edgy to have Asian kids. She’d started to believe them, with the only families bothering to speak to her during open house being all white.

The men that’d been walked in by Ms. Patty were looking at her like there was something on her face. They wouldn’t stop looking at her. It was kind of weird and Jiwon wanted to wipe her face or look in a mirror, just to make sure there was nothing there.

The two of them were holding hands, and Jiwon thought that was pretty cool. She liked holding hands. She wasn’t sure if they were here to visit with her because they were all Asian or if maybe they were foster parents. She’d heard about those too, from the older kids, about families that took kids in but only for a little while. Jiwon didn’t think that sounded too nice, but it would probably be better than having to share her space with five other little girls.

“Jiwon, can you say hi?” Ms. Patty asked gently. Jiwon liked Ms. Patty and listened to instructions as best she could.

“Hi,” Jiwon said, fighting the urge to run and hide.

“Hi Honey,” The shorter of the two men said with a smile. Jiwon wasn’t sure why, but she could feel the blood rush to her face and warmth spread through her small body. “My name is Key and this is my husband Minho.”

“Hello,” The man named Minho said, then dropping to his knees to be at Jiwon’s height. Jiwon appreciated that, lots of adults looked down their nose when speaking to her and she didn’t like the way that felt. “How are you doing today?”

“Good,” Jiwon answered shyly. She’d never met with a family on her own before, mostly just meetings with more kids and more families. Ms. Patty had told her that it was okay to be nervous and if she didn’t feel safe she could say so or leave.

“Do you want to play blocks with us?” Key asked as he nodded towards the play area at the edge of the room. Jiwon was confused about why they wanted to play, but she never allowed an opportunity of playing blocks to go by.

They played blocks and talked about the different things that they all liked. Minho liked soccer and Key liked plays and Jiwon liked coloring. They talked about things they didn’t like when they pulled out the crayons and the coloring books that were always available when families came around. Minho hated bugs, Key didn’t like corn, and Jiwon didn’t like any green veggies.

By the time Ms. Patty said it was time to go, Jiwon thought it had barely been five minutes! She exclaimed so only to have Ms. Patty laugh and claim it had been two hours.

Jiwon wasn’t sure if Ms. Patty had forgotten how to tell time, but she was sure that that was wrong. She didn’t argue, however, and waved goodbye to Minho and Key, hoping that they would be back to visit her soon.

~

Jin hate shopping. Specially shopping for stuff that he didn’t want or was interested in. Things like makeup and purses weren’t really his cup of tea but here he was, holding Charlotte’s purse. He’d lost that damn game of goldfish and now he owed her 4 hours of his life. Four hours that she was making him go around with her to random stores to buy makeup and purses and he was just holding on to her purse and all of her bags. Jin could bet she cheated, he wasn’t exactly sure about how, but there was no doubt in his mind about it. ‘Maybe I should practice the game more? How do you even practice at goldfish?’ he thought to himself.

“Jin, are you listening to me?” asked Charlotte.

“Yes! Uh but can you repeat exactly what you just said, please?” Jin stumbled.

“I’m asking what you think of this shade of lipstick? Does it make my skin look weird or does it look nice?”

“Oh, uh, I think it looks nice? I mean I’ve always liked pink on you.” Jin remembered fondly the first time she took him to my favorite team’s soccer match and she had been wearing a lovely shade of pink that contrasted with the blue of the jerseys. It was a few months into dating and kind of how Jin realized that he was in love with Charlotte.

“Awesome! Now to look for some blush we can go to the store across the way,” Charlotte instructed. She liked to pretend that her Korean wasn’t as good as her boyfriend’s, even though she’d been living here for a long time.

Jin scoffed thinking “Oh here we go. Just 2 more hours of this and it's home to watch the game.”

“Will you hurry? I’m trying to make the most of this time.” Charlotte rushed.

“Yes, sorry. I’m hurrying,” Jin said with a laugh. He perused and was honestly looking for blush when Charlotte called his attention.

“Aww look Jin, when we have a daughter will you bring her to buy makeup like that dad over there? He looks really lost, it's totally adorable.”

Charlotte pointed at the man she was talking about but Jin’s mind was stuck on the possibility of having children, and how he would like 11 for a soccer team. They could grow up to be whatever as long as they agree to play soccer with him every weekend.

Jin finally turned around and that's when he saw him. His idol, his mentor (from afar) Choi Minho. The greatest soccer player to come from the neighborhood he was from. Wow! He was shocked and amazed at the stroke of luck he had in the middle of his misery. The shock must have registered on his face because Charlotte asked him if he was okay while shaking his arm gently.

“That’s Choi Minho Char. That's the guy I told you went pro and then he did that interview a few years back about he’d left the game because he was in love and was getting married in America.” Jin rattled off. “I’m not saying that- actually, I might die Char, I love you but I might die.”

“See, there are soccer players that shop with girls too! Now, why don’t you go over there and say hi or something,” Charlotte tried to whisper but she wasn't very efficient at it. Still, Jin’s eyes couldn’t help but stay glued to his idol.

Super Star Soccer Player Choi Minho, though, seemed incredibly focused on the teen girl that seemed to be telling him to hold out his hand and let her try out the color of lipstick on there. Jin could see from a distance that there were already swatches of colors decorating the man’s hand.

Jin caught himself hyperventilating the tiniest bit and asked Charlotte to perhaps look at the lipsticks on display that were on the other side of the store. She gave him a look, but she complied nonetheless. It was in moments like this that Jin knew he could count on his girlfriend.

“Papa, what do you think? Should I go with a plum or a red for tomorrow?” The teen asked Super Star Soccer Player Choi Minho.

“Jiwon, pick whatever you want. Both of them would look beautiful on you. But if you want opinions on hues and shades then I don’t know. You know that your dad is better at this than me, he’d be able to give you a more solid opinion,” SUPER STAR SOCCER PLAYER CHOI MINHO replied. “Why don’t you ask one of the girls who work here?”

“They’ll just tell me to buy both, Papa!” The teen shook her head in dismay.

 _Yes, this is the precise reason to have a girlfriend_ , Jin thought. It was Charlotte’s time to shine and his opportunity to talk to his idol.

Jin elbowed Charlotte, “Go Char, go help the girl”. He gave her the best puppy eyes he could manage and she started to move.

“Hi!” Charlotte started to speak to the girl, who had been talking to Super Star Soccer Player Choi Minho in English. “It looks like we are in the same predicament. Jin here doesn’t know much about color either.”

“It’s the struggle man, I swear,” The teen girl said with a laugh. “So we’re going to a family party tomorrow and I have this outfit planned…” The girl began explaining and Jin knew it was his opportunity to make contact.

“Looks like we are a bit out of our depth, huh?” Jin said, quickly trying to make polite conversation. Super Star Soccer Player Choi Minho was much taller in person and looked like he’d enjoyed his life so far. He had smile lines but no wrinkles. His hair was still black and he was wearing a blue shirt with some slacks. He smelled good too. Was that weird? Should Jin be smelling him? Oh well, this was the person he was now.

“Haha, yea. That’s my daughter, Jiwon, and I’m…”

“Choi Minho” Jin cut him off before he could stop himself. Damn it. He was not succeeding at trying to play it cool.

“Yes.” Super Star Soccer Player Choi Minho answered with a pleasant smile. “And you are?”

“Jin, Lee Jin. I was a huge fan of yours growing up and I hope you don’t think i'm creepy,” Jin muttered. He really should keep his trap closed. Really. Word vomit was a disease.

“Nice to meet you Jin. Is that your girlfriend being really kind to my daughter?” Super Star Soccer Player Choi Minho asked with a laugh.

“Charlotte. Yes. She is girlfriend.” Jin replied. “We were just shopping and overheard your daughter speaking to you in English. Charlotte thought that she could help.”

THEN Super Star Soccer Player Choi Minho smiled at Jin. At that very moment, he felt like the world might become a better place if Super Star Soccer Player Choi Minho stood on random street corners and simply smiled at people. It was a nice smile. 10/10 would definitely recommend.

“Um, so it was nice of you to bring your daughter makeup shopping even though seem to be having a hard time with it,” Jin continued. Because, again, word vomit. He left off without making the statement into a question. What was Super Star Soccer Player Choi Minho supposed to reply to? He’d probably just walk away, and Jin would deserve it for being an awkward nugget who assumed that SSSP Choi Minho didn’t know anything about makeup. And who was JIn to judge, really. He’d been sniffing SSSP Choi Minho when he got into sniffing range.

“Well I didn’t have much of a choice,” SSSP Choi Minho admitted with a slight blush. If this makeup store had made a blush the exact color of this man’s face, it would be an instant best seller, Jin was sure of it. “My husband is out having dinner with his old friends, and my dear daughter apparently forgot a few of her lipsticks that needed to be replaced immediately, before a family event that we are attending tomorrow.”

“That definitely sounds like a teenage emergency,” Jin conceded. He’d been around his sisters enough that he knew the importance of a lipstick shade, even when he couldn’t differentiate them. “I, um, I heard that you’re coaching University soccer in America now?”

“That’s right,” SSSP Choi Minho answered with a nod. “I know a lot of people in Korea didn’t understand when I gave up my pro career, but the change of pace created enough steadiness for me and my husband. So that we could get married and start the family we always wanted.”

Jin was a little more star struck by how incredible and genuine SSSP Choi Minho was, especially the fact that he’d answered his most asked question in interviews (Yeah so Jin had watched a couple on YouTube) to a complete stranger in a makeup store.

“The things we do for love, I guess,” Jin replied. He knew he loved Charlotte, but he wasn’t sure if he was ready to uproot his life for her and to start a family together. Maybe when he made enough money to save up for a fancy wedding and a good down payment on a house.

“Papa, Charlotte is way better at colors than you. I think I’m going with this berry color that is kind of a mid tone in between the plum and the red!” Jiwon said as she skipped back to where Jin and her Papa stood, Charlotte not too far behind her.

“Well, it was great to meet you! Now duty calls for a father to pay,” SSSP Choi Minho said as he walked away. “Thank you Charlotte for your assistance! You are truly a lifesaver.”

That’s all the SSSP Choi Minho could say before his daughter dragged him to the cash register.

“Char, I love you and I will forever be in your debt,” Jin said as she approached after SSSP Choi Minho had left the store.

“Was he nice?” she asked with a fond smile.

“He was. He seemed happy about his life, which is something I’m happy for even though I hadn’t really thought about him in a while. And he smelled nice!”

Charlotte smiled and shook her head. At least, Jin knew, she understood who he was as a person.

_~Before~_

__

“I don’t know what to do in this situation,” Minho said quietly. There was no reason to keep their voices down, with only the two of them occupying the room, but it seemed appropriate to have this conversation in exchanged whispers. They were lying on the hotel room bed, arms touching, both facing the ceiling.

“I’m not telling you that you need to make a decision, honey,” Key whispered back. “I’m not telling you this as a threat or as a way to bargain with you. I just love you and thought that you should know that I got offered the professorship.”

“I- Coach said that there’s been some interest-“ Minho said, then cut himself off. He knew this conversation wasn’t about him or his goals and dreams. It was about Key and the amazing opportunity that had been given to him.

“Minho,” Key said firmly, but not raising his voice, and shifting his body so he was on his side facing his boyfriend. “You know how I feel about you, and that feeling isn’t going to change now or ever. Even if I’m in America and you’re here or in Europe or wherever your career takes you, I’m going to love you.”

“I know,” Minho said with a groan. He knew their relationship was solid and based on trust and honesty and communication. He didn’t have doubts about their relationship, at all, but Minho knew that it would be difficult to be away from Key.

Key placed his hand gently on Minho’s cheek and turned his boyfriend’s face towards him. He didn’t know how to convey the depth of his feelings or the security he felt in their relationship and in himself when he looked into Minho’s eyes. “You don’t have to change anything about your plans before I told you about this. I’m just sharing with you. I’m sharing my life with you, which is what I’ll continue to do even from across an ocean.”

“I love you,” Minho whispered and leaned closer to his boyfriend.

“I love you too,” Key said before he closed in and kissed Minho.

“If you go to America, I’ll follow you,” Minho declared honestly. He knew, deep down, that there hadn’t even been a question about whether he’d change his entire life to be close to Key.

“You don’t have to-“ Key interrupted.

“I know I don’t,” Minho agreed. “But if I do…”

Minho didn’t say anything about the possibilities running through his head. He didn’t say that in America they could actually get married. He didn’t say that they would be able to adopt children someday. He didn’t say that they wouldn’t be shunned by society (or completely shunned) and that he was excited to hold Key’s hand in public and not be afraid for his reputation. He didn’t say all that, but Minho could picture it clearly in his mind.

“If I do, I’ll making that decision for me, not for you. It might not be right away, but I’ll find a way to get to you.”


End file.
